About Central

Welcome Statement

Central College’s Welcome Statement (Nondiscrimination Policy) is designed to promote and protect safety, respect and integrity in relationships among all members of our community. Central College is committed to fostering inclusivity on campus and strives to create a community of students, faculty and staff who are dedicated to supporting and advancing the mission and goals of the college. To achieve these ends, the Central College community establishes a safe environment for all persons, including those considered diverse by contemporary and sometimes changing standards.

As a college community, we commit to a process of actualizing our mission and goals, thereby striving to achieve congruence between our daily actions and the ideals expressed in our guiding principles. As one of our goals, we promote skills and values essential to becoming responsible citizens in local, national and international communities. Further, we seek opportunities to experience and appreciate the diversity of cultures and perspectives present on campus, in the United States and the world, recognizing the necessity to relate knowledgeably and sensitively in an increasingly complex environment where diversity is to be valued.

As an inclusive academic institution we embrace and support students, faculty and staff from various spiritual perspectives who endorse the values of acceptance, mutual respect, justice, generosity, compassion, forgiveness and service to others. We aspire to be a community whose members act with consideration for the physical, intellectual, spiritual and emotional well-being of others. We seek to create mutually respectful interactions and positive meaning in relationships with persons of every ethnicity, race, national origin, ancestry, color, socio-economic class, creed, religion, philosophical belief, marital status, disability, physical appearance, sex, age, sexual orientation, gender expression and identity, and organizational affiliation.

With due regard for the principles of freedom of expression and academic freedom, this policy seeks to encourage attitudes of civility necessary for meaningful exchanges between people. All members of the college community are responsible for creating an atmosphere that fosters openness, mutual respect and diversity. The application of the college’s nondiscrimination policy will often involve conflicting interests, particularly when applied to freedom of expression. Because the primary business of the college is liberal education and because liberal education cannot take place without the free, open and civil exchange of ideas, the application of the nondiscrimination policy should always be made with consideration of how best to preserve the free, open and civil exchange of ideas. *

Central College is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Discrimination in employment is specifically prohibited except in cases of a bona fide occupational qualification. Additionally, the college prohibits discrimination against any individual for reasons listed above. Central College students have equal rights, privileges and responsibilities unless specifically restricted by college disciplinary action.

Central College abides by Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 which prohibits sex-based discrimination in education programs or activities that receive federal financial assistance. Specifically, Title IX states that:

No person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any education program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance. (http://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ocr/docs/tix_dis.html)

Inquiries about Title IX, including complaints about sexual assault, relationship misconduct, harassment or discrimination, may be directed to the Central College Title IX Coordinator and/or the Office for Civil Rights within the United States Department of Education.